'Here's an interesting stat for you' - Andy Farrell highlights Jamison Gibson-Park’s importance to Ireland

PARK LIFE: Jamison Gibson-Park after his side's victory at Twickenham. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.

There are times when a man of the match award does not do enough heavy lifting to recognise an individual performance and Andy Farrell underlined Jamison Gibson-Park’s Twickenham tour de force with an astonishing statistic.

His scrum-half had been benched for Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations home clash with Italy seven days prior, himself and replacement fly-half Jack Crowley providing the impetus for a late push for victory having entered the stage with the game tied 10-10.

A week later both had started against England and while Crowley justified his selection, not least by kicking four conversions and three penalties for 17 points in the 42-21 record win, Gibson-Park’s all-round, try-scoring performance was outstanding.

His quick tap penalty from close range as Ireland swept into the English 22 caught the home defence napping and lit the touch paper on a stunning opening 30 minutes in which his side raced into a 22-0 lead from which they would not look back. His prompting, sniping and kicking was a constant thorn in the home team’s side and left his head coach purring.

"He thrives,” Farrell said of Gibson-Park. “Here's an interesting stat for you as far as all the GPS scores and stuff like that. I try not to get too carried away with it, but when he came on the field last week (against Italy), our intensity grew by 30 per cent.

"The ball was quicker by 30 per cent and that's what he does.

"Sometimes it doesn't even look like he's took the ball, but his nous to be able to step out from the ruck and have a look and be that threat.

"Once he's that threat, everyone's worried about that. He's so strong in and around all that as well… I thought our broken-field play… we were at our best when there was a pick-and-go and there was an offload, or when Jamison was scooting down the short side. It's very pleasing because that's where we need to go."

The dominant manner of Ireland’s victory was the perfect antidote to the Irish rugby public’s angst which followed the opening-round no-show at Stade de France, when the defending champions raced into a 29-0 lead on route to a 36-14 victory.

Farrell now heads into the championship’s only fallow week with that public’s confidence restored in him and his players though it has never deserted the head coach or those inside the camp.

"Do you know what, you say some tough days or whatever. Honestly, I don't feel like that.

"I've said it all along, the squad: it's at where it's at, and it's always going to be at different levels to where it's been in the past or whatever, because that's just life, things move on. "But, it's about the learnings, it's about going forward.” Farrell used the experiences of Ireland legends Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll and Johnny Sexton to illustrate the difficulty of winning a Six Nations title.

"I was thinking this morning, probably the three most respected players that I know in Irish rugby, probably Johnny Sexton, Drico or Paulie. I think Drico played for 15 years and won two. I think Paulie played for 14 years and won three. Johnny played for 13 years in this competition and won four.

"So have a look at all the ones that they've not won. It's because the group is always transitioning and learning. And, honestly, that's why genuinely I didn't care whether we won or lost (but) whether we just grew as a group.

"Because we know what we're trying to get to as a group. And it doesn't always translate, because people have to feel the ups and downs of international rugby to learn and grow from it. So that's the best part of it today."

Farrell was bullish about his team’s potential as he builds towards the next World Cup, which begins in October 2027 in Australia. There are two games remaining in this Six Nations campaign, at home to Wales a week on Friday and then Scotland seven days after that, before a challenging inaugural Nations Championship tour Down Under to face the Wallabies and Japan in Australia ahead of New Zealand at Eden Park.

"I think the strength of any team should be stronger than any individual's belief of what they think they can get to,” Farrell said.

"That's what a proper team is. So therefore, the potential in the squad is huge. I believe that.

"And you guys can say it's ageing, or we're missing people and they're injured and all that type of stuff. But that doesn't matter neither, like, as long as we're pushing forward and doing ourselves proud. So, therefore, over the next 18 months, I think there's plenty of lessons that we can learn and we will do.

"A tough couple of games coming up, a tough summer, and all that will stand to us. We want to be at our best in 18 months' time.”